NI Conservatives’ economy spokesman, Johnny Andrews, has said people in the construction sector must be “tearing their hair out” at a lack of help from the executive, after a Construction Market Survey confirmed the industry here was lagging significantly behind the rest of the UK.
“It is scandalous that, while the construction industry continues to struggle, the executive has money sitting unused which could provide immediate help”, Johnny emphasised. “The stalled A5 project is tying up £330 million and has already cost taxpayers a further £60 million on top of that, all of which could have been creating jobs and helping the construction sector.”
“The executive has insisted upon pursuing this doomed, unwanted vanity project, when the money should have been diverted into projects which are ready to start immediately or which could provide far more lasting benefits to the economy. In addition, the Conservative minister Mike Penning recently made it clear that further government help is available to build infrastructure, if the executive finds projects which are ready to start.”
“Ministers at Stormont are failing the construction industry, just as they are failing in other areas of the economy. We must see immediate action on getting investment in infrastructure working to create jobs and we must see businesses provided with the help that they desperately need, otherwise Northern Ireland’s economy will continue to fall behind and people will remain stuck on the dole queue.”